Kirsten O’Brien

Kirsten O’Brien has been a familiar face on our screens for over 20 years. She reports for current affairs programme Inside Out, recently fronted documentary How The NHS Changed Our World celebrating 70 years of the NHS for BBC Two and is currently filming River Walks for BBC One.

On radio she can be heard on TalkRADIO and BBC Berkshire and you’ll probably hear her pop up on your television as the voice of Sky One continuity. She regularly hosts live events for English National Opera and the Royal Ballet.

Kirsten O’Brien started out in 1996 on CBBC in the Broom Cupboard with Otis the Aardvark. She went on to host many children’s TV shows including Sunday morning show Smile, Springwatch Trackers, Totally Doctor Who, kid’s consumer programme Short Change and perhaps what she became best known for 8 series of popular art programme SMart, and spin-off shows Smarteenies, SMart on the Road and Smart Hart with the legendary Tony Hart.

After leaving kids TV she branched into documentary making, her critically acclaimed doc Kirsten’s Topless Ambition saw her examine why so many children’s presenters felt the need to do racy lads magazine photo shoots. She became a leading face on BBC3 fronting Britain’s Most Embarrassing Parents, Botox Britain: Your Face In Their Hands, Eastenders Live: The Aftermath (which is BBC3’s highest ever rating show) and travelling the globe with Will Mellor for World’s Toughest Driving Test, where she is now the proud owner of a tank driving licence.

Kirsten decided to try her hand at stand-up comedy and after gigging around the UK she had a sell-out show at Edinburgh Festival in 2007 – “Confessions of a Children’s TV Presenter”.

In 2011 Kirsten started a family but this didn’t stop her taking part in Let’s Dance for Sport Relief 10 weeks after giving birth. She has recently added twins to her family and is currently writing a book about her IVF experience.

She is a keen property renovator and has remodelled homes in the UK and France where she has a holiday home.

Kirsten has held 2 Guinness World Records and her proudest TV moment was winning The Weakest Link.